Spirit's Eve.
A festival in Stardew Valley modeled after Halloween.
In the doctrines of Yoba, its importance is second only to the Feast of the Winter Star.
For the past three years, since not a single soul lived in Pelican Town, Suke hadn't felt anything special about this holiday.
But now, as the Farm System transmitted the notification: [The Dimensional Gate has temporarily opened during Spirit's Eve].
Suke knew Pelican Town was about to get lively.
For example...
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh——!!!"
A heart-wrenching scream belonging to Nikaido Hiro rang out from the haunted house set up in the town square. It even startled Suke, who was currently outside the haunted house showing Sin and Bronya around Pelican Town.
That's right, Suke had just returned to Pelican Town after ending his brief three-day journey in the Houkai Gakuen world.
Because it was during Spirit's Eve, the magic of his Return Scepter was able to bring the two girls back to Stardew Valley for a visit as well.
Sin, who was already reluctant to part with him, and Bronya, who had nowhere else to go, naturally had no reason to refuse.
Although they would be automatically transported back to their original world once Spirit's Eve ended, being able to stay together a little longer was good enough.
But now, no sooner had he brought the two kids over than he heard the mysterious perjury girl throwing a fit again, nearly scaring the children.
Aren't you supposed to be The Great King Hiro, cold and ruthless?
"Someone come quickly!"
"Emma, Emma she—!"
Nikaido Hiro stumbled out of the haunted house, blood staining her face, her entire body trembling.
What is going on?
Although no accidents should theoretically happen within the spatial coverage of Stardew Valley, Suke still immediately followed Nikaido Hiro into the haunted house to investigate.
The space inside the haunted house was much larger than it appeared from the outside. He wondered how Abigail and the others had set this up during the two days he was away.
"?!"
Almost as soon as Suke entered, he saw Sakuraba Emma not far away, lying in a pool of blood with a knife plunged into her chest, breathless.
Next to her was an elevator that he had no idea how they managed to install.
This familiar sense of déjà vu made Suke involuntarily glance back outside the haunted house door to confirm that Pelican Town was still there and he hadn't transmigrated again.
"Mr. Suke, call everyone over, quickly..."
"We must find the murderer immediately!"
Nikaido Hiro's voice was choked with sobs.
She had originally thought Emma was hiding in the haunted house to play a prank on her.
That is, until she waited a long time without a response and went up to check her breathing.
She forced herself to remain calm.
But the breakdown in her pupils could not be concealed.
It felt that if the Witch Factor still existed, just a little more stimulation would be enough to cause this child to instantly become Witch-transformed.
"Don't be afraid, Hiro, don't be afraid."
Secretly chatting with Emma and the others via the public channel, Suke confirmed the special nature of this haunted house that had popped up in the square the moment Spirit's Eve began.
Suke patted Nikaido Hiro on the shoulder, then walked to the elevator. Using his brute strength, he dragged the elevator downwards—
Thud.
Another breathless corpse fell out of the elevator shaft and landed on the ground with a smack.
The second corpse rolled in front of Nikaido Hiro, causing her brain to crash for a moment.
But when she snapped back to reality and clearly saw the face of the corpse—
Hasumi Rhea.
This young girl, who had been chatting and laughing with Nikaido Hiro just moments ago as they crossed the gate between worlds to tour this place, was now also a corpse.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh——!!!!
The girl's hysterical, silent scream erupted once more!
"W-Why!"
"Who was it? Why is this happening—!"
The girl with long, straight black hair seemed to lose all strength and means. Her knees, clad in black stockings, gave way, and she collapsed to the ground with a thud.
"Hoh, Detective Sherri senses the scent of a major case!"
Perhaps because Nikaido Hiro's earlier screams had attracted quite a bit of attention, other people besides Suke had already run to the scene.
"Eh, Mr. Suke is here too?"
"Oh, oh, two people died at once? I didn't expect such a terrible thing to happen in this seemingly peaceful small town!"
She immediately made a deduction:
"So it's a locked-room elevator murder case?"
"Excluding Mr. Suke, the host, as the murderer, there are only two people with the greatest suspicion—"
"Hiro, Hanna, it must be one of you two who did it!"
Tachibana Sherri: It must be Tono Hanna!
"Eh, eh, eh? What is this desu wa!"
Tono Hanna, who had run into the haunted house following Tachibana Sherri, was startled.
"I only just arrived at the scene, how did I become the murderer?!"
"Wait, what do you mean murderer? What is that on the ground..."
"Kyaaaaaaa!!!"
Seeing the corpses of Emma and Rhea on the ground, Tono Hanna also screamed, her voice attracting even more people from outside the haunted house.
Suke glanced at Tachibana Sherri in astonishment.
Good kid, you finally guessed right for once, Little Sherri.
After all, if Tono Hanna really did it, as the Prison KD King, killing two sheep with one tiger would be a trivial matter for her.
Alright, I can't tease the kids anymore. It wouldn't be good if I actually gave them trauma.
"Hiro-chin?!"
"What happened, Hiro-chin? I was livestreaming with Miria and Koko over at the haunted maze, and we heard your screams all the way from there..."
The figures of Hasumi Rhea and the others appeared outside the haunted house. Seeing Nikaido Hiro slumped on the ground, everyone looked confused.
Hasumi Rhea?
Nikaido Hiro, who was in the midst of a massive shock, froze. She had originally planned to commit suicide and activate 'Death Rewind' to this morning, but she suddenly whipped her head around to look at Hasumi Rhea and her group hanging out by the door.
Then she looked back sharply at the corpses on the ground, which didn't look fake. This made her brain fail to compute.
"Don't just sit there silly. The haunted house is a public entertainment facility; others are waiting to experience it!"
"Everyone, line up properly, don't push!"
Suke grabbed Nikaido Hiro by the shoulders and hoisted her up, helping her walk out the door.
The instant Nikaido Hiro's body crossed the threshold of the haunted house, the scene inside vanished completely.
Whether it was the corpses of Sakuraba Emma and Hasumi Rhea, or the elevator hiding the bodies, it was as if everything just now had been Nikaido Hiro's hallucination.
"Eek~?!"
"H-How... How was this done desu wa? Is it the latest holographic technology?!"
Tono Hanna, who had been hiding behind her best friend in fear of the murder case, suddenly widened her eyes.
The people outside might not have been able to tell, but having been inside just now, she knew how realistic those corpses were.
Not only were their features identical, but one could even smell the scent of blood produced after death.
"Bingo~"
"Given that the horror level of this haunted house might be slightly excessive, underage children are requested to enter in pairs. Solo action is prohibited~!"
Suke snapped his fingers.
He had already spoken via the public channel with Elysia, Abigail, and others who had experienced the haunted house.
This haunted house would manifest the scene a person feared witnessing the most deep in their heart.
For example, when Abigail entered, she saw her own execution during the Salem Witch Trials.
When Elysia entered, she saw the mutual betrayal and self-destruction of humanity.
As for Tsukishiro Yuki... seems she hasn't visited yet?
Suke checked the map. This Chuunibyou Great Witch was currently in the fountain park next to the Community Center, hanging out with Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash.
I'll take her for a stroll later.
—Wait, who is she with?
Suke's expression changed instantly. When did that red-haired hooligan get here?!
"Little Sherri, I'll leave the organization of the haunted house experience to you for now!"
"If someone wants to enter but has no one to accompany them, please trouble yourself to go with them!"
After all, out of everyone here, you're the one who fears nothing the most, Suke muttered in his heart.
"The Great Detective guarantees the mission will be accomplished~!"
Having assigned Sherri the task to avoid another panic incident like Hiro's, Suke immediately sprinted non-stop towards the fountain park located above "Mabel's General Store".
"Beautiful, powerful, immortal!"
"Mash, I feel my heart has been stolen by Miss Tsukishiro Yuki. I may never experience joy or sorrow again in this life!"
As soon as he ran into the park, Suke saw the girl named Fujimaru Ritsuka kneeling on the ground with a look of piety.
She was paying her respects to the Chuunibyou Great Witch not far away, who was posing with one finger pointing to the sky and one to the ground, as if she were the sole honored one in heaven and earth.
"Senpai, please don't do this, it's embarrassing!"
"You are the Master of Chaldea; your words and actions abroad concern everyone's reputation! If Da Vinci-chan knew you..."
"Even if she knew, she wouldn't scold me!"
"Why isn't a perfect woman like Miss Tsukishiro Yuki a Heroic Spirit?"
"Uwaaaah, I'd be willing even if I had to spend all the one thousand Saint Quartz I saved for the Count!"
"Miss Tsukishiro Yuki, I beg you, come back to Chaldea with me! The living conditions in our Chaldea are great, much better than this remote small town..."
Gudako wanted to say more, until she felt her skull being gripped by a large, powerful hand.
That hand seemed as if it could lift her skull right off with just a little force.
Trembling, she looked up slightly from the shadow and, sure enough, met the extremely dangerous gaze of the local Farmer, looking at her as if she were already dead.
Looks like I got caught poaching by the owner...
Hey, can we settle this peacefully?
"It's Farmer Suke!"
"Mr. S-Suke, Senpai was just talking nonsense! I solemnly apologize to you on her behalf!"
The Little Purple Eggplant was frightened into incoherence.
Watching Gudako's head start to deform under the force of Suke's palm, her facial features shifting towards the world-famous painting The Scream, Mash was somewhat at a loss.
Let me ask you, Gudako, why is your head so pointy?
Oh, it turns out it was squeezed into that shape by hand!
"Alright, Animus."
"It's a rare festive atmosphere. It wouldn't be very appropriate if a bloody incident occurred~"
Sure enough, the beautiful and kind Miss Tsukishiro Yuki will speak up for me!
Gudako's eyes gleamed amidst her distorted features.
"Although the place where we set up the haunted maze is still lacking a few ghosts? But a ghost made from this child would probably be very noisy. Would that really fit the atmosphere?"
Don't say such terrifying things with a face of serious contemplation, hey!
Gudako instantly understood that the man and woman before her were existences she could not afford to provoke.
If she didn't want her mission to save the Human Order to end prematurely here, she had better admit her mistake and submit immediately.
"Hon-tou ni su-mi-ma-sen!"
"I know I was wrong, Mr. Farmer!"
Performing a dogeza on the spot alongside the Little Eggplant, the Chaotic Evil Master of Chaldea reflected deeply on her mistakes.
Damn it, I can't mobilize any magical energy in this crappy place!
Just you wait until this Farmer comes to my turf; I'll definitely let him know how tough I am!
Fujimaru Ritsuka counted on her fingers inside her mind, thinking darkly.
When that time comes, I must prepare the 'Fab Four' Course for him!
I'll have Gilgamesh, Rameses, Little Sun, plus Heracles take turns serving him...
It feels like this hooligan still hasn't given up her wicked designs.
Suke frowned as he looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was still snickering about some happy thought even while in dogeza. He had intended to inflict some heavy punishment.
"It's really lively, Animus~"
"Animus must be working very hard, right? Developing a desolate, uninhabited small town into this all by yourself~"
"If only I could help Animus too, what a pity~..."
Tsukishiro Yuki lifted her hand to cup her cheek, looking melancholic.
Having magic in the original world was fine, but in Stardew Valley, there wasn't much work this Great Witch could do.
She wasn't as diligent as Sakuraba Emma, couldn't match Abigail in strength (Strength B), and her handiwork wasn't as exquisite as Elysia's.
Although she was already asking Miss Pink Elf to teach her handicrafts, she wouldn't produce results anytime soon.
"Yuki, you are different from them. Just take your time."
"You can learn what you don't know. If that doesn't work, you can be solely responsible for collecting the brewed wine and such."
"In short, living happily here is the top priority!"
Ignoring for the moment what conspiracy Gudako was plotting in her dogeza, Suke, possessing the divine power of the statue, held the same philosophy:
Let thousands of armies come; I will meet them with a single spear!
"My Animus, you are so good~"
Smiling with narrowed eyes, the white-haired Great Witch stood on tiptoes and leaned in close to Suke. Suke also understood and lowered his head slightly, letting her gently kiss his cheek.
It was unknown if Suke blushed, but Gudako and Little Eggplant watching from the side certainly did.
Tsukishiro Yuki then took out a triangular piece of paper shaped like a pyramid:
"By the way, Animus, this is a moving piece of paper I just picked up on the road. It feels like something special~"
"Take a look~?"
____
New Story: It's over! I'm surrounded by the DanMachi Goddesses!
🔥We're handing out that '25% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ New releases are dropping, plus get exclusive content & updates.
✅ Help us unlock community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 180 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan